Day 2
11 - A penny made is two pennies wasted – (Department of the Treasury) $70 million - Cutting penny production could save at least $70 million annually. Manufacturing a penny now costs 2.4 cents each.
12 - Call me for free, maybe – (Federal Communications Commission) $1.5 billion - Enrollment in the Lifeline program has skyrocketed as people sign up to get free cell phones for which they qualify if they are on federal tested programs (or based on income).
13 - Powerful routers installed in tiny rural libraries and schools – (WV) $24 million - State officials used a federal stimulus grant to purchase massive, overpowered routers that are too big and unnecessary for rural schools, libraries, and government offices.
14 - Relive prom week with National Science Foundation video game – (CA) $516,000 - Using an NSF grant, researchers created a computer game simulating a high school "Prom Night" and the week leading up to the night.
15 - Black liquor loophole – (Taxes) $268 million - Paper and pulp companies are still taking advantage of a loophole allowing them to cash in their black liquor byproduct as an alternative fuel under a tax credit intended for vehicular fuel alternatives.
16 -
17 - Russian weapons institutes recruiting new scientists with
18 - NASA Entertainment, Inc. – (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) $1.6 million - NASA has developed a number of video games, though the agency has struggled with a tight budget in recent years.
19 - Smokey Bear balloons – (Department of Agriculture) $49,447 - USDA pays to have a Smokey Bear hot-air balloon at festivals in the Southwest. Money could be used for a DC10 tanker to fight wildfires.
20 - Speed reading faces – (WA) $30,000 - NSF funds used to study whether people can determine a person's sexual orientation with just a glance.
